The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-09-24
DON AND MISSIONARY.
Unfair Treatment of Americans on
the Caroline Islands.

Mrs Rand, wife of Rev. f. E. Rand, who
is an assistant of Rev. Mr.. Doane in mission
work in the Caroline islands, Micronesia,
has come to Massachusetts to inform the
American Board In regard to the recent ar
rest of Mr. Doane by the Spanish authori-
ties. Mrs. Rand is now with relatives at
Marblehead, and is preparing a statement to
lay before the officers of the Board which
will then be presented to the State depart
ment at Washington. The entire system Of
missionary operations in Micronesia is
threatened by the recent action of the Span
ish authorities, and the arrest of Mr.. Doane
appears to be only the first in the attempt to
expel American missionaries from the Caro-
line islands. The Caroline islands, by the
way, are the only islands there where whites
can live, the Gilbert and Marshall groups be-
ing very unhealthy DR.. E. NJ. Pease and
wife of Springfield, Mass, are at Kusaie,
one OF the Caroline islands, and Ponape
where Mr. Doane and Mr. Rand have been.
is the largest island in the group. The Car
oline Islands have about 1000 square miles
and $4,000 inhabitants, and natives from the
other groups are educated by our missiona-
ries on the Caroline islands and sent back to
their homes. The Spaniards propose to stop
all that.
Mrs. Rand gives interesting details of Mr..
Doane's arrest and treatment. The Span
iards utterly disregarded the islands until
within two years, when Germany attempted
TO get slice of the territory. Up to this
time Spain allowed full sway to the mission
aries, and being aroused to indignation
stepped in and claimed her possessions.
bismarck referred the matter to the Pope,
and the Pope decided in favor of the Span
iards taking possession, since the property
was theirs by right On March IA last,
Spanish man-of- war appeared, having on
board the newly appointed governor, and
with bin came six priests, 80 soldiers and
40 or 80 eonyicts. This was the first delega-
tion from Spain, and the newly arrived in
habitants assured the board of missions that
it need not fear any interference on their
part, that the missionaries should enjoy the
privileges of the past years and that their
the same time the new arrivals told the mis-
sionarieS that all new schools about to be es-
tablished should be taught in the language
of the discoveries. The Governor started
contract to build road across the island of
fonape, as the only means of travelling was
by foot passes, and for this purpose detach-
ments of boys and men were ordered out
from the schools Rev. Mr.. DOane remon-
strated with the Governor for this act of re-
ducing the list of scholars in the schools.
While he was quietly at work April 13 he
was arrested and taken as a prisoner on
board of the war ship Manila. he asked to
be allowed to communicate with his friends
before being confined, but was denied the
privilege. He was hustled off without Judge
or jury and accused Of insulting the Spanish
government. AS soon as possible he man
aged to get word to his friend Mr. Rand, the
only other missionary on the island, and
when the news spread, quite an insurrec-
ton arose among the natives, though the
foreign element espoused the Spanish cause.
With no little trouble and danger things
were quieted for a time, until the statements
were fully made known. Mr.. Doane was
brought to Manila for trial, and in the same
ship Mrs Rand came al passenger. She
stopped four days at Manila and then came
to this country She says that the removal
of the Governor who arrested Mr.. Doane
will do no good unless his successor is in
structed not to modest American mission
aries. me Gilbert Islands belong to Eng